Assalamualaikum Dear Family and Friends, 

On January 23^rd 2021, my father Haji Arosh Ali (Ostar Miah) lost his life to Covid-19.

In the middle of December 2020 despite us shielding as much as possible by staying at home and following all government guidelines, my family and I contracted Covid-19. 

Whilst we all contracted the virus, it effected my father and sister quite severely and they became bedbound.

They became extremely ill, experiencing sleepless nights filled with pain and fever. My mother and I would bring them food, but they had no energy to eat. As the days progressed my father was constantly in pain whilst my sister was also deteriorating fast. Eventually their oxygen levels had become so poor that both my father and sister were rushed into hospital a day apart from one another. 

During this difficult time, QA Hospital situated in Portsmouth would not allow visitors due to lockdown restrictions. The staff nurses helped us to FaceTime with my father who was now receiving extremely large amount of oxygen to allow him to breathe. 

Few days after he had been admitted, I received a call from the duty doctor. He informed us that   my father would now be put into ICU for ventilation urgently as he was receiving the maximum amount of oxygen and his body was not able to take any more. At this point my mother and I were clear of Covid 19 so doctors allowed us to see my father before he was put in an induced coma. 

I held my mother’s arm tight, giving her the confidence she would need to see my father. We arrived at my father’s bedside, and he turned around in his hospital bed, gave us a big smile and held our hands. Not knowing that this would be the last time we would see him, we spent our short time telling him what the plan was going forward and that he would get better as soon as he woke up. We were there for maximum of 10 minutes before doctor’s began to put my father in an induced coma.

A few days later the specialist doctor called me and advised us to be prepared for the worst as it was likely my father would not make it due to the virus causing irreversible organ damage.

Crumbling after hearing those words over the phone, it was my duty to inform my mother and sister and help them to prepare themselves. We were all devastated and could not believe that our father’s condition had deteriorated in such a short amount of time. 

My father spent 34 Days in ICU fighting for his life, and on Saturday 23^rd January at 2:04pm, I received a call from a nurse from QA Hospital explaining with a heavy heart my father had passed away in his sleep as his heart had suddenly stopped. 

Whilst my sister was reciting the Quran and my mother was in the kitchen, I could not hold back my tears. I held my them and told them that he had passed away. 

We were only a small family; you cannot imagine the pain we are going through or how much we miss him every single minute of every single day. 

My father spent most of his life in Portsmouth, he was extremely hard-working and always put others before himself. When he came home after a hard night’s work, he always had a big smile on his face, and always greeted us with a smile in the morning. His smile was his trademark for everyone who knew him. My father would not hesitate to help others in need, it did not matter who you were, what race, colour, or religion you were, he would always be there to lend a helping hand.

My father spent a lot of his time praying at the Muslim Academy in Portsmouth. He would open the Mosque for midday prayer (Zuhr) and prepare the mosque by giving the Athaan (Call to Prayer). He would always look forward to visiting the mosque every single day. 

I learnt very quickly that my father was extremely generous in contributing to any opportunity of charity that he could, which I became more aware of after he had passed away. He would always encourage both me and my sister to donate in charity as much as we could.

Everyday I visit my fathers grave and recite Surah Yaseen (Heart of the Quran), I pray to Allah to give him the highest position in Jannah and I also pray for everyone we have lost. 

With a heavy heart and constant tear running down the side of my face I manage to muster up the courage to write this. I would never have imagined I would need to become the only man of the house, and never thought I would lose my father so early on in life. 

My father was my hero, he was my world & he was the reason I smile every day. Every day that goes past, and I miss him more than anything else in the world.

We as a family have pledged to build a mosque in our father’s name with One Ummah, please could I ask all our family and friends to donate as much as you can to the cause and fulfil the dream we have for our father. Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: ‘Charity does not decrease wealth’. 

The Reason we have selected One Ummah to raise funds for this project is because they are committed to a 100% Donation Policy. The volunteers work tirelessly to ensure they locate an area where a Mosque is needed. They have managed throughout the years of experience building sustainable Mosques around Africa. All of your donations are used economically and appropriately whilst maintaining complete transparency. One Ummah cover their running costs via the following sources; Business Sponsors, Gift aid from your donations and direct donations for administration costs. This allows One Ummah to focus on your donations to go to the direct cause. 

As we approach the Last 10 Days of Ramadan please support us by donating as much as you can, sharing this link is also a very easy way to show your support. From myself and my family thank you for taking your time reading about the loss of our father. I want to take this opportunity  to extend my gratitude and say thank you very much for all your kind messages and phone calls in the time of our need over the last few months.

Jazakallah for all your support, please keep our father Haji Arosh Ali in your prayers.

**Please note Zakat Is not permissible for this project**